Inka Essenhigh’s work peaked on the auction market in 2005, followed by some sales in 2006 and 2007 that looked like they might put a new floor under her prices. But the credit crisis shut down her auction sales. Later this week, Phillips de Pury will try again with a sub-£5000 offering. Meanwhile, the Guardian has her take on what’s involved in painting:

I stopped painting in oil for a time and started using enamel. At the time I needed to get away from all that history, that search for deeper emotions. I needed to drop all the baggage that comes with oil paint and do something completely contemporary, which I found in the slick, bright, flat surfaces of enamels. I have always had a strong style; even when I’ve painted things differently, you can always tell they are by me. I am attracted to moody, muddy colours and I like twilight. I might decide to paint daylight, but I prefer a moodier palette.

Inka Essenhigh on How She Paints (Guardian)